Estonia's united pro-Russian movement, so-called Team Russia, has approved prominent Russian-born politician and journalist Dimitry Klenski as the number one candidate to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Team Russia, created under the auspices of Estonia's Russian Party, unites politicians and public activists representing the country's Russian-speaking community, which makes up about one third of the Baltic state's population.
The polls are scheduled to take place on March 6. In line with Estonian laws, only independent candidates and parties, but not political blocs, are allowed to participate in parliamentary elections.
Klenski received some 7,000 votes in the 2009 elections to the European Parliament, in which he participated as an independent candidate, but did not manage to make it into the European legislature.
The Team Russia's list of candidates will remain open until January 20, Russian Party leader Stanislav Cherepanov told journalists, adding that the electoral program of the new political force will be concluded by the end of the month.
The Estonian United Left Party, which also represents the interests of the country's Russian-speaking community, has refused to join Team Russia.
In the previous parliamentary elections in 2007, the pro-Russian Constitution Party did not manage to make it into parliament, gaining a mere 1 percent.
TALLINN, January 10 (RIA Novosti)
